MUCORMYCOSIS AFTER BONE-MARROW TRANSPLANTATION - REPORT OF 4 CASES INTHALASSEMIA AND REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

We report four cases of mucormycosis that occurred among 711 patients who underwent BMT for thalassemia, and review 18 additional cases amon g BMT recipients that were reported in the English-language literature , All these patients were polytransfused and were in advanced phase of disease with severe acquired hemochromatosis. The sites of infection were sinonasal, rhinocerebral-pulmonary, pulmonary and pulmonary-centr al nervous system. Mucormycosis was the primary cause of death in thre e of four patients. Two infections were detected within the first 100 days after BMT, Only one of the four patients had partial resolution o f sinonasal mucormycosis following aggressive antifungal therapy combi ned with hyperbaric oxygen treatment.